Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros on Letterman

The Replaced Kentuckian

Headed back to Kentucky this afternoon after a training session I'm co-leading on Long Island. I will be departing at 2 p.m. I expect to arrive in KY sometime around 1 a.m. I will be speeding violently as I once again take on the Garmin to see how severely I can beat its estimated time of arrival.

This time around I'm going to be super productive in several regards. I'm attending wedding celebrations, I'm helping my parents paint their basement, I'm going to the Louisville office to pitch in and speak to new hires, I'm doing landscaping work for the newlyweds, and I'm going to help a co-worker pack herself into boxes before becoming a Displaced Coloradan herself.

Also, in a fit of feeling artsy, I'm going to take Duncan's advice and try my hand at taking pictures of things. I have a decent camera, and I'm sure it will take better pictures than my Blackberry does, so this should be interesting.

The trip wraps up with a bachelor party. I've been good about moderating my drinks. I don't necessarily want to be the last man standing, but I definitely don't want to be the first one out (or first to barf)(or first to go out at poker).

We'll see how it goes.

The Obama Burger

While I was in DC, Duncan and I had lunch at a small burger restaurant run by Spike Mendelsohn, The Good Stuff Eatery. The burgers there were delicious and the placed smelled like a clean burger heaven. Not a greasy, seedy burger heaven like Genny's Diner in Louisville.

This is going to be hard to communicate, but I had a burger there that was one of the best sandwiches I've had in a long time, but it was not one of the best burgers I've had in a while. Seeing the description of the burger might make this clearer.

PREZ OBAMA BURGER

Applewood Bacon, Onion Marmalade

Roquefort Cheese and Delicious

Horseradish Mayo Sauce

I loved the taste of ObamaBurger, but it wasn't beefy. I should have checked its papers. I'm not entirely certain that it was beef. So I'm not sure it was actually a burger. The tastes of the bacon and cheese and horseradish mayo sauce....everything complimented everything else very, very well. But I'll be damned if I got a good taste of beef out of the sandwich. That's ok, but not the best "burger for burger's sake."

So here's a picture of the burger in question. Delicious? Absolutely. Burger-y? Not so much.

Also, here's a picture of a monkey doll that we found at a market on Saturday morning. Its weirdness really called to me.

A Duncan Carol, by Dick Charlens

[Scene: Duncan's home, late at night. He has just returned from gambling in Saratoga with friends and is exhausted. He slumps into a chair and stirs some tea, grumbling to himself about the lack of female inoculation over the weekend. As he stops stirring his tea, he listens, and realizes that the ticking sound of clocks has stopped. He stares around the room and realizes that he feels a breeze, even though the window is closed and the ceiling fans are turned off, and the window blinds are fluttering. He starts to walk towards the window to investigate, but suddenly there's a loud knock on the door.]

Me: Open up, Hinkle!

Duncan: Who goes there?! It's late! It's too late for me to open the door!

Me: Its your old partner, Duncan. It's me, the long lost Paul Schlotterbeck.

Duncan: That's impossible! Paul Schlotterbeck doesn't live here! Be gone, you trifling nuisance!

[at this point an ethereal phantom of Paul Schlotterbeck walks through the door, scaring the bejeezus out of Duncan]

Me: Duncan, I came here as a warning. A warning that this weekend, if you're not too busy, you will be visited by THREE spirits!

Duncan: Technically, there are no such things are spirits, soooo....I don't believe you. Go away.

Me: There are TOO spirits! How do you think I got in here? I just walked through...THROUGH your freakin' door, dude! I. AM. A. SPIRIT!

Duncan: That's it. I'm calling the Ghost Adventures guys. They'd know what to do with you.

Me: ENOUGH! Those guys are douche bags! Silence yourself an listen to me, mortal! [flames shoot out of eyes, appearance temporarily takes the form of Ghost Rider, then reverts back to Phantom Paul.]

Duncan: Dub.

Me: This weekend you will be visited by three spirits! When the calendar strikes Friday, August 6th, you will be called upon by The Spirit of Paulmas Past. On Saturday, August 7th, you will be visited by the Spirit of Paulmas Present. And if you're cool with it, the Spirit of Paulmas Yet To Come will sleep somewhere on the floor or on a couch and will try not to snore too loud.

Duncan: Tell me, phantom Paul, why would you curse me with such visitors?

Me: Because I'm bored. And because I miss you, dude.

Duncan: OK.

[the room goes pitch black. When the lights come back on, slowly dimming up, Duncan is alone in the room. He goes back to his chair, stirring his tea. Later he falls asleep. When Duncan begins snoring, Phantom Paul cracks the door to the pantry where he's been hiding, quietly slips out, tip toes across the room, slowly unlatches the door, and walk out.]